design et al are delighted to announce that Juliette Byrne have been shortlisted for Residential £2.5-5 Million (Property by Value) Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2017.
The house was converted by Ray Thompson for Juliette Byrne’s Canadian clients and a rear extension was built with lap pool and external gym. The designers were given the brief to create a stunning interior space to complement the client’s contemporary style. The family travelled extensively and had three children who were extremely sporty – skiing, cycling, and tennis. Juliette Byrne were asked to make sure all the rooms were styled for them individually. The clients were impressed by the designers’ efficient use of space and how they managed to make the flow between the new rear extension elegant and sophisticated. Bespoke rugs were sourced from The Rug Company throughout the house and were woven for each area, the paint on the ground floor was specially flown in from the South of France. All the fabrics and soft furnishings were individually sourced from all over the world. 
The client, although in the film business, originally trained as an Oceanographer and requested a salt water aquarium for his study. This work was taken on and was a wonderful focal point with a living underwater world of coral and tropical fish and plants. Juliette Byrne worked on integrating this carefully into a walnut panelled wall and created a stylish study with bookshelves to display his motor racing and skiing awards. In the new extension, the clients wanted to create a family room with the wonderful views onto the garden but also to have the formal dining area and seating around the feature fireplace. The kitchen was by Bulthaup and the dining table commissioned from Armani with a Lindsey Edelman pendant light from New York, bespoke dining chairs were designed to complete the scheme. The house was designed to complement the exterior as the glass doors in the kitchen extension slide back so you can move seamlessly from inside to outside. A BBQ was specially commissioned in a marble to complement the water feature in the long lap pool, the external furniture also was sourced and fabrics chosen which worked beautifully with the internal schemes.
The drawing room was furnished using items from the Christian Liaigre range of furniture and had a fireplace designed by Juliette Byrne with the clients framed Picasso above. Other areas such as the master bedroom had dressing room joinery designed and commissioned to lead elegantly into the bedroom with full length curtains and a chaise long from Promemoria in Pimlico and crystal pendant light from Ochre. All the art and photography was sourced and even the flowers from Thomas Goode were selected carefully to create a fantastic palette to complement the interior. Juliette Byrne’s favourite aspect of the project was being given an open brief to create a space that would work to entertain as well as live and relax. The design works well as each area has its own special feel – from the fully fitted boot room with storage for all the sports equipment from skies to bikes through to the funky chill out area on the top floor area of the house for the three teenage children to entertain their friends. As designers, Juliette Byrne took note of the client’s preferences regarding colour palettes and also the fact that they did not like floral or fussy fabrics. Their look was clean and linear so Juliette Byrne needed to ensure the house still felt warm and inviting.